Little Earth Friends (Ages 2-4)
📖 STORY (Read to child – 2 minutes)
“Tiny seeds grow into big plants!
It’s magic!
First, we plant the seed in soil.
Then we give it water – sprinkle, sprinkle!
Then sunshine – warm and bright!
Wait and wait…
Look! A tiny green sprout!
More water, more sunshine…
The plant grows bigger and bigger!
We helped it grow!”
🎨 ACTIVITY 1: Watch Seeds Grow
Time: 5 minutes setup, daily ongoing
Type: Science observation
You Need:
- Clear jar
- Paper towel
- Bean seeds (3-4)
- Water
What to Do:
- Wet paper towel
- Line inside of jar with wet towel
- Place seeds between towel and jar (child can see!)
- Water every day (keep towel moist)
- Watch roots grow down, sprout grow up!
- “Look! It’s growing!”
What They Learn:
- Plants grow from seeds
- Observation skills
- Patience (takes days!)
- Plant needs: water, light
🌿 ACTIVITY 2: Plant Parts Exploration
Time: 5 minutes
Type: Hands-on science
You Need:
- Simple plant (weed, flower, anything)
- Your hands!
What to Do:
- Gently pull up plant (with permission!)
- Show roots: “These drink water from soil!”
- Show stem: “This holds the plant up!”
- Show leaves: “These catch sunshine!”
- If there’s flower: “This is beautiful!”
- “All these parts help the plant grow!”
What They Learn:
- Plant parts (roots, stem, leaves)
- How plants work (simple!)
- Tactile exploration
- Gentleness with living things
📊 ACTIVITY 3: Growing Chart
Time: 5 minutes every few days
Type: Documentation
You Need:
- Paper
- Crayons
- Plant you’re growing (from jar activity!)
What to Do:
- Every few days, child draws the plant
- Date each drawing (you write date)
- “Look! It’s taller now!”
- After 2-3 weeks, look at all drawings
- “See how much it grew!”
What They Learn:
- Change over time
- Measurement concept (taller!)
- Recording observations
- Pride in documentation
📝 VOCABULARY WORDS
- Grow – Getting bigger
- Seed – Tiny thing that becomes a plant
- Plant – Living thing that grows in soil
- Roots – Plant’s feet (drink water)
- Leaves – Plant’s hands (catch sun)
- Water – Plants drink it!
- Soil – Dirt, where plants live
- Tall – Growing up high
👨👩👧 TIPS FOR PARENTS & TEACHERS
Age Adjustments:
- Age 2: Focus on watching, parent helps with setup
- Age 3: Can help setup, draw simple pictures of plant
- Age 4: More independent, can explain what’s happening
Success Tips for Seed Jar:
- Bean seeds = FASTEST! Lima beans especially good
- Keep paper towel MOIST (not dripping)
- Place in sunny window
- You’ll see roots in 3-5 days, sprout in 5-7 days!
- If it fails, try again – that’s learning too!
Making it Special:
- Take photos daily, make time-lapse video!
- Measure sprout with string (cut string each day, compare!)
- Name the plant (“This is Sprouty!”)
- Celebrate growth: “It grew THIS much!” (show with fingers)
Extension Ideas:
- Grow different seeds (compare which grows fastest!)
- Plant sprout in soil once big enough
- Measure child against plant: “You’re MUCH bigger!”
- Visit a garden or farm (see BIG grown plants!)
- Read “The Tiny Seed” by Eric Carle
What Success Looks Like:
- Child checks plant daily
- Excited about growth: “It’s bigger!”
- Gentle with plant
- Understands plants need water and sun
- Can identify roots, stem, leaves
🌟 CONNECTION TO OTHER TOPICS
- Topic 2 (Water): Plants need water to grow!
- Topic 3 (Sun): Plants need sunshine to grow!
- Topic 4 (Trees): Trees grow from seeds too!
- Topic 8 (Help Earth): We help by growing plants!
Everything grows with water, sun, and care! 🌱
Part of Little Earth Friends – Ages 2-4
Building love for Earth from the very beginning
